Thomas Staubli

Thomas Staubli is a Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics and Hydro Machines at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Technology (IME) at Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (HSR), part of Hochschule Luzern. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from ETH Zurich and has conducted post-doctoral research at Lehigh University. His career includes roles at Sulzer Hydro and heading the Hydro Machinery Laboratory at ETH Zurich. His research focuses on hydraulic machinery, hydro-abrasive erosion in Pelton turbines, flow-induced vibration, and acoustic discharge measurement techniques. He has authored/co-authored over 100 publications in journals like Journal of Fluid Mechanics and Renewable Energy.

Education:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zurich
• MSc in Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zurich

Research Interests:

• Hydro-abrasive erosion mechanisms and mitigation strategies in hydropower turbines
• Flow dynamics and instability phenomena in pump-turbines
• Acoustic and ultrasonic flow measurement technologies
• CFD simulation of turbine performance and fluid-structure interactions

Articles Trends: Recent work emphasizes Pelton turbine erosion analysis, sediment impact modeling, and efficiency optimization in hydropower plants. His 2024 studies explore jet deflector torque and partial jet cutting control, advancing turbine regulation techniques. Ongoing projects include erosion monitoring at HPP Fieschertal and acoustic measurement improvements in non-ideal conditions.

Labs/Teams: Leads research at IME's Fluid Mechanics and Numerical Methods group, collaborating with industry partners like Andritz Hydro and Swiss hydropower operators.